Last week was an absolutely BEAUTIFUL and PERFECT week for our president. The whole entire country paid attention to him A LOT. He got a visit from Kid Rock, a GREAT entertainer, who wore a ketchup red suit covered with July 4 knickknacks we saw at the Dollar Store last summer. Then the president got to fire people. (THANK YOU, LAURA LOOMER!)
But the BEST part was the day the president got to draw his signature on a piece of paper declaring LIBERATION DAY while dozens of bright boys in suits looked on and clapped adoringly. WINNING! He showed off his mastery of specialized medical jargon while talking about his AMAZING tariffs — “it’s like an operation, when a patient gets operated on.” Apparently we’re in recovery now, though we seem to be missing a few limbs.
Giddy with success, President Donald Trump ended the week by waving goodbye from the back of a limo and heading off to play golf in Florida. Meanwhile, working-class people fortunate enough to have 401(k) accounts enjoyed their liberation by watching their investments disappear faster than a Big Mac in the Oval Office. The rest of us headed to Giant Eagle to enjoy a few bananas while we can afford them. They’re about to become the new caviar.
Those of us at PUP became seriously annoyed at all of his greatness being foisted upon us. We awoke Saturday determined to attend the “Hands Off!” event at the City-County Building in Downtown Pittsburgh.
We arrived a bit late and got stuck in the back. This was the biggest protest crowd we’ve seen in years. It reminded us of the massive George Floyd protest in 2020, and the snowy Sunday in 2003 when several thousand folks braved a snowstorm in Oakland to speak out against the Iraq War.
The Raging Grannies sang at that long-ago rally, and they sang at this one, too, leading the crowd in “America the Beautiful.” Speakers called out the Trump administration for its assaults on immigrants, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ+ community, women, veterans, science, the Constitution, federal workers, and the poor flightless birds who are the only inhabitants of Heard Island, now subject to a 10% tariff.
“We’re here to say no to a guy who put tariffs on penguins,” said one speaker.
Alisa Grishman spoke from her wheelchair about the needs of the disability community, whom she compared to canaries once used to alert coal miners to deadly gasses. She focused on Republican plans to cut Medicaid — that’s an early indication that Trump and his followers intend to go after the programs affecting millions of American, she said.
“Without Medicaid, I will die,” she said. “I’m tired of being a canary, and I’m starting to choke.”
Conor Lamb, former congressman and Marine, slammed Trump for disrespecting veterans. Miracle Jones of 1Hood Media spoke up for immigrants, including those from Ukraine. Subha Das, an associate professor of chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, called out Trump for the administration’s attacks on science. Those were just a few of the speakers.
We saw a lot of creative signs. These were of the homemade variety, not those generic printed signs you see at so many rallies these days. One guy held up a piece of cardboard with a simple message: “I am a Republican and I am ashamed.” (We didn’t ask the guy who he voted for.) Elon Musk was a favorite target. “Grab ’em by the Tesla’cles,” read one. “Deport Elon.”
Another showed a large blue shark bearing down on a number of rich folks, including Trump and Musk. “Billionaires are food, not friends,” it read. We at the PUP don’t know any rich people other than our publisher, who we haven’t seen much since we went out on strike a 2½ years ago, but if any wealthy people attended the rally they must have felt a bit uncomfortable. One of the most raucous chants was “Tax the rich.”
At one point, we heard a speaker slamming the administration for ignoring and disregarding contracts. “Tell me about it,” said one of our crew. She said it loudly enough to get the attention of folks standing around us. “My husband is on strike at the PG,” she explained to them. Ah, they nodded. They got it.
It felt like a community. Organizers said there were more than 1,400 “Hands Off!” rallies across the country, from Anchorage, Alaska, to New York. We wondered if all of this outrage and concern among everyday, working-class Americans would cause the president to reflect on the damage he’s causing. We got our answer shortly after the rally, when our phone buzzed with a news alert from the White House.
The statement read, “The president won his second-round matchup of the senior club championship today in Jupiter, Fla., and advances to the championship round on Sunday.”
Steve is a photojournalist and writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, but he is currently on strike and working as a Union Progress co-editor. Reach him at smellon@unionprogress.com.